Can my child start reception early?

[Adriana87]

My daughter was born in September 2019. This means it won't be until September 2024 she starts school. To be honest our prime motivator is childcare cost as its costing us over £1,200 in fees. I appreciate that drops by 40% when she turns 3 but it's still a bitter pill to swallow that she'll be in nursery for half a year longer than her brother before going to school. Is it an option for children to start reception earlier?

School is not childcare.

As a teacher, I've yet to see a child that I thought started school too late. Seen plenty that started too young, though.

You want your child to start at 3? To save money? That’s not really thinking about what’s best for your child is it? I was the youngest in my class at 41/2 and I struggled massively.

My kids were all 5, Scotland has a different system/cut off am I’m glad as I didn’t want my kids starting at 4, my 11 year old would be going to high school now instead of next year so am happy about that. I paid for childcare, I budgeted and cut my cloth as it was something I needed to pay then he got 15 free hours so just went mornings and my 10 year old went to the playgroup. I’ve paid childcare for 4 kids with childminders, after school clubs etc too, you have to if you want to work.

My eldest missed the cut off by 14 hours and they said no. The extra term however paid dividends because she's exceptionally bright for her age

@KatherineOfGaunt are you thinking of two different things? The 30 hours scheme is national and entitlement is based on whether both parents work.
How and if settings choose to offer it is down to the individual setting so may well differ in different areas, or between settings in the same area.

@zoeydollie - @KatherineOfGaunt is right.
I think it might be your area that is unusual.
Since the 15 hrs funding came in, it is very usual for schools to offer either a morning / afternoon split or a 2.5 days split, and unusual to have children in for 30 hours or a full week that mine benefitted from before the 15 hours funding came in.

OP I sympathise with the thought crossing your mind. My youngest has a September birthday and the thought went through my mind fleetingly too. It is a lot of money. However, I'm sure you know in your heart of hearts this wouldn't be a great move. As one of the oldest in the year your dc is likely to have a much easier ride than someone who is the youngest.

I'd rather have an August baby than a September one for this reason. I understand it's frustrating...but, no, of course you can't do this. It's an absolutely ridiculous suggestion.

@Comedycook

I'd rather have an August baby than a September one for this reason. I understand it's frustrating...but, no, of course you can't do this. It's an absolutely ridiculous suggestion.

Yeo my 3 yr old is about to start school- I’m very happy with an august baby- my youngest however in November, a whole additional yr will be a pain.

No but check your school, our school they take them from 2 in the preschool, it offers the same hours as the normal school.

I don't think it is allowed unfortunately. I get that it's annoying if they'd been born a few weeks or perhaps days before they would have the option of deferring the start by a whole year, yet no option for yours to start for the sake of a few weeks.
Is there a nursery attached to the school? You could maybe enquire about how much it would cost there instead, perhaps cheaper.

My friends ds was born at 11.59pm on aug 31st. The dr asked them if they wanted him to put 12.01am, not thinking they said no, of course not and regretted ever since because he's emotionally immature even as a teen. On the other hand I'm an August birthday and didn't do me any harm.

The bottom line is that parents see the advantages of being a September baby

[quote BackforGood]**@zoeydollie* - @KatherineOfGaunt* is right.
I think it might be your area that is unusual.
Since the 15 hrs funding came in, it is very usual for schools to offer either a morning / afternoon split or a 2.5 days split, and unusual to have children in for 30 hours or a full week that mine benefitted from before the 15 hours funding came in.

OP I sympathise with the thought crossing your mind. My youngest has a September birthday and the thought went through my mind fleetingly too. It is a lot of money. However, I'm sure you know in your heart of hearts this wouldn't be a great move. As one of the oldest in the year your dc is likely to have a much easier ride than someone who is the youngest.[/quote]
I've lived in two different local authorities, one a large city and one more rural, and both have schools (state and academies) offering the full 30 hours. Where I am now school based nurseries are often community preschools on the same site or nursery classes run by academies, whereas where I used to live it tended to be state schools with nursery classes or state nursery schools.
So very much dependent on your area rather than there being one national norm for provision.

Though even where your local school may not offer 30 hours funding, there are many preschools and childminders who do - so they cost of the childcare when they are 3+ shouldn't be much different to the cost in Reception.

Don’t be ridiculous OP. You want your child to the youngest in class so you can save on childcare?
No sane school would agree to that. There is a reason 3 year olds are not in reception! I have a sommer born and would have happily paid for another year to have her start later!

[quote zoeydollie]@KatherineOfGaunt sounds like that set up is specific to your local area. Where I am I think pretty much all school nurseries offer 30 hours.[/quote]
I think it's fairly unusual outside major cities for children to have full time school nursery places. They don't do it in my county.

Interesting how it varies @CaptainMyCaptain. Where I am the little village schools with less than 100 kids seem to be the most likely to have full time nursery provision - and often breakfast and after school clubs too.

As a random example, there seems to be 215 schools in Hertfordshire that offer 30 hours for nursery directory.hertfordshire.gov.uk/Search?CategoryId=41&UDG=True&OrderBy=Relevance&SM=ServiceSearch&SME=True&AI%5b0%5d=551
110 primary schools in Devon services.pinpointdevon.co.uk/kb5/devon/services/results.action?thirtyregistered=1&communitychannel=11_17
And 12 state nursery schools and 12 primary schools in the city of Bristol that offer it www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/find-a-30-hours-free-childcare-provider

@zoeydollie

Interesting how it varies *@CaptainMyCaptain*. Where I am the little village schools with less than 100 kids seem to be the most likely to have full time nursery provision - and often breakfast and after school clubs too.

I only know about Local Authority maintained provision which has always been free to parents , whether children are offered part or full time depends on availability. Many schools have private nurseries attached though.

No, definitely not. If you’re entitled to 30hrs though you’ll be able to send her to a nursery attached to a primary. My child- born September 1st 2015- didn’t start reception until last year (September 2020, a week or so after their fifth birthday) but attended the attached nursery five days a week, normal school hours, in September 2019. They needed it, had previously been at a day nursery since a year and were really clearly bored.

@Adriana87 if you google "30 hours providers" plus your area/local authority, you will probably be able to search for local schools that will offer you a full time nursery place when your child is 3 or 4.

My youngest was born on the 1st September last year... pain in the flipping bum!
Although there's definitely benefits of being the oldest in the year to be fair!

I find this an oddity. I know so many parents with summer borns who wanted them held back and to go the next year.

Then so many parents of Sept/ Oct borns want their DC in school early.

It's bizarre.

A friend did it but her parents paid for a private school for her son so she sent him at 3 when he wasn't 4 until November. He was too brainy to wait and needed the stimulating environment apparently.

I don't know you can only ask but don't know anyone who has done it.

Having said that if childcare is costing you £1200 a month, you'd be cheaper putting him in a private school if they'll take him a year early and then shift him to state.

My friend pays £3000 a term for private prep school- not London.

It's ridiculous that's cheaper than nursery of £1200 a month.

Having to fit your life around term times and the school day is very restrictive for a family. Holidays, day trips, swimming lessons all have to be timetabled in. I definitely missed the freedom of nursery.

Also most reception children spend the first 6 months having meltdowns and tantrums after school because they are so tired and the amount of new information they are processing each day is huge. This includes the nearly 5 year olds.

Ha Ha Nope!